1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heating door.
The invention is adapted to the primary or supplemental heating for all types of premises, such as houses, apartments, offices, stores, or other private or professional premises.
2. Discussion of Background Information
For the heating of premises such as dwellings, offices, or professional premises, central heating systems are increasingly abandoned in favor of self-contained individual units, due to the difficulties encountered in controlling and optimizing energy consumption in large installations.
The most commonly used sources of energy are fuel, gas, and electricity. The latter has numerous advantages such as versatility, cleanliness, comfort, ease of adjustment and programming, low investment, etc; but the ratio of its cost to the Kilowatt/hour is substantially higher than for the other two types of energy. This has motivated the development of xe2x80x9cintegrated heating,xe2x80x9d associating electric heaters with thermal insulation of the premises. Nowadays, in order to save energy, new buildings must be well-insulated, and electricity is more frequently selected as a source of energy.
Electric heating is most often ensured by way of convectors fixed against the walls in the same manner as water or steam radiators.
These apparatuses, which are metallic, are unaesthetic and reduce the usable surface of the walls of the premises in which they are installed.
The Patent No. FR 2 721 472 filed by the Applicant of the present invention describes a heating door comprising in its lower portion, a heating body made of a shielded resistance embedded in a light metallic alloy unit, two vertical lateral plates forming, together with tubular sections, an enclosure enabling air circulation. Each side has bottom and top recessed elements opened outwardly to enable the input and output, respectively, of air in the enclosure.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4 163 144, in the name of Jacques REYNIER, discloses a heated door made of two fire-resistant wooden panels, which are spaced apart by laths defining a series of vertical compartments, at the base of each of which electric heating elements are arranged, openings with deflectors being provided at the top and bottom of the two panels for the passage of heated air.
The manufacturing cost of these devices is relatively high due to the number or the particular technology of their heating bodies, and the air outlet at the top portion makes it difficult to obtain a good distribution of temperature.
The invention provides for a heating door comprising a frame, a first panel mounted to the frame, a second panel mounted to the frame, a sheet disposed between the first and second panels, the sheet defining an inner section between the first panel and the sheet and an outer section between the second panel and the sheet, and at least one heating mechanism arranged in at least one of the first and the second section.
The heating mechanism may comprise at least one set of heating wire. The at least one set of heating wire may comprise an upper and a lower heating wire. The upper heating wire may be fixed to an upper element of the frame and the lower heating wire may be fixed to a lower element of the frame. The door may further comprise insulating blocks connecting the upper and lower heating wires to the upper and the lower elements of the frame. The door may further comprise at least one expansion compensating spring connecting the upper and the lower heating wires. The heating door may be adapted for primary or supplemental heating of all types of premises. The premises may comprise at least one of houses, apartments, offices, stores, and private or professional premises. The at least one of the first and second panels may be made of particle board or a synthetic material. The sheet may comprise a metal sheet. The door may further comprise at least one spring connecting the upper and the lower heating wires. The door may further comprise at least one insulating block arranged to insulate the at least one spring from at least one of the upper and the lower heating wire. The at least one spring may be arranged at a mid-height of the door. The at least one heating mechanism may be arranged in each of the first and the second sections.
A power to the at least one heating mechanism may be controllable. The power may comprise between 100 and 200 watts. A total power used by the heating mechanisms of each of the first and second sections may be close to 850 watts. The total power may be close to 1000 watts.
At least one of the first and second panels may be curved. At least one of the first and second panels may be curved vertically so as to avoid a risk of deformation due to expansion. The frame may comprise a peripheral metallic frame which is adapted to increase a rigidity of the door. The door may further comprise at least one heat shield arranged on at least one of the first and the second panels. The at least one heat shield may comprise aluminum foil which is attached to at least one of the first and second panels. The at least one heat shield may comprise aluminum foil which is attached to a portion of one of the first and second panels. The portion may comprise a lower half of an inner surface of at least one of the first and the second panels. The at least one heating mechanism may comprise a heating wire made of a metallic alloy coated with a synthetic material which is capable of withstanding a continuous temperature greater than 200xc2x0 C., the at least one heating mechanism being adapted to uniformly heat at least one surface of the door.
The invention also provides for a heating door comprising a frame, a first panel mounted to the frame, a second panel mounted to the frame, a sheet mounted to the frame and disposed between the first and second panels, the sheet defining an inner space between the first panel and the sheet and an outer space between the second panel and the sheet, and an upper heating mechanism arranged in at least one of the first and the second section, a lower heating mechanism arranged in at least one of the first and the second section, and a plurality of springs connecting the upper and the lower heating mechanisms.
The invention further provides for a heating door comprising a frame, a first panel mounted to the frame, a second panel mounted to the frame, a sheet mounted to the frame and disposed between the first and second panels, the sheet defining an inner space between the first panel and the sheet and an outer space between the second panel and the sheet, and an upper heating wire arranged in at least one of the first and the second section, a lower heating wire arranged in at least one of the first and the second section, and a plurality of springs connecting the upper and the lower heating wires, wherein at least one of the first and the second panels is curved.
The device according to the present invention eliminates all of these disadvantages. Indeed, it makes it possible to obtain electric heating units which free the walls entirely, ensuring an excellent distribution of temperature, and have a low manufacturing cost.
The invention provides for a door made of two front panels mounted on a frame so as to form an enclosure divided into two sections in the thickness by. a metal sheet, the section on the room side being equipped with a high set and a low set of heating wires mounted on insulating bocks arranged at the ends of expansion compensating springs and at the upper and lower portions of the door.